Stories for August 2, 2013

Former mayoral chief of staff Vince Hall believes Bob Filner sexually harassed his former communications director, willfully refused to complete the city's sexual harassment training, created a "dehumanizing" work environment and isn't capable of changing his behavior.

As Congress heads off for its 2013 summer recess, who could blame a citizen for thinking that maybe the slogan above the House dais should be changed from "In God We Trust" to "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here."

The Internal Revenue Service, under attack by congressional Republicans, has been operating without a permanent commissioner. President Obama nominated John Koskinen on Thursday for what might be seen as a thankless job.

A review of the records of military sexual assault counselors and recruiters, ordered by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in May, has prompted the suspension of 55 soldiers and 5 members of the Navy - who, it turned out, had committed crimes like child abuse and sexual assault.

Bick Boyte plops a 1-pound bullfrog in his aluminum canoe, still half alive. He resumes his kneeling position, perched upfront, on the hunt for a big bellower. Boyte hears the "wom, wom, wom" and knows frogs are within reach.

Two Air National Guard F-16 jets collided in midair off the coast of Virginia Thursday night. The pilot of one of the jets ejected, and was later rescued by the Coast Guard. The pilot from the other jet involved in the collision was able to fly his aircraft back to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has another rough week as more people call for his resignation. A UCSD student who was forgotten in a DEA holding cell for nearly five days was awarded $4.1 million by the Justice Department. The fate of wild horses descended from steeds ridden by the Spanish military here in the 1700s is uncertain in East County.

Dozens of police officers acted outside the rules and could be disciplined for their role in a massive car chase in Cleveland last fall, according to city leaders, after an official review of the 19-mile pursuit that resulted in two deaths. The review found that 13 officers fired 137 shots. The fleeing driver, Timothy Russell, and his passenger, Malissa Williams, were killed.

The lighting in the NPR newsroom isn't doing me any favors. Maybe it's time to get some "work" done? Then again, cosmetic surgery makes people look only about three years younger and no more attractive, according to a study that tries to add some objectivity to a very subjective field of medicine.

The San Diego Chargers will conduct their annual FanFest during Saturday's practice at Qualcomm Stadium, with fans having the opportunity to see the team practice and get autographs from former players.

America's unemployment rate sank to 7.4 percent in July, a drop of two-tenths of a percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says in its monthly summary of the U.S. economic situation. But employers added 162,000 jobs last month, coming in below economists' expectations.

NSA leaker Edward Snowden, who spent more than a month at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport before being granted a one-year asylum Thursday, has picked out a place to live in Russia, his attorney there says.

Few details have emerged about the U.S. plan to shut down embassies that would normally be open this Sunday. A senior State Department official says that the U.S. facilities may be closed for more days, as well. The closures are being described as "precautionary steps" that are being taken "out of an abundance of caution."

The unemployment rate only includes people who don't have a job and are looking for work. A much larger swath of people -- about 36 percent of U.S. adults -- don't have jobs and aren't looking for work at all. That figure is higher than it's been in decades (and, conversely, the share of adults in the labor force -- shown in the graph above -- is lower than it's been in decades).